A/N: See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer.
Chapter Summary: Joy's battle against leukemia causes Hannah and Will to reevaluate their priorities.
Chapter 10: On the Right Path
Before Joy could receive life-saving bone marrow from her sister Hannah, she had to have chemotherapy to kill off the malignant cells and make room for Hannah's bone marrow. Dr. Everett informed Louise and George that, unfortunately, the chemo would probably damage Joy's reproductive system and make it very difficult, if not impossible, for her to have children later on in life. Joy was crushed when her parents told her, but she knew like they did that saving her life was far more important than saving her reproductive system. And even though it really hurt her to know that she would probably never be able to have children in the future, she was still deeply grateful to Jesus and to Hannah for saving her life.
When Joy was well enough to come home from the hospital, she was surprised to learn that some really good things had come out of her hospitalization. She'd had many people praying for her in that time, and she was surprised to hear that their next-door neighbor, Mr. Bentley, as well as Ralph the doorman, had been among them. It seemed that her illness and her brush with death had shaken both of them up considerably – enough to get them to stop and reevaluate their lives, their standing with God, and where they would be going when they died. And to everyone's amazement, Florence was actually able to share the gospel with them and help them get saved. And Joy wasn't the only one who was pleasantly surprised by the positive impact her illness had actually had on the lives of others. Several months later when George and Louise began to see the deep and powerful impact it had on Will and Hannah and how it changed them for the better, they were beyond thrilled to say the least.
In September of that year when the new school year started, George and Louise expected their two oldest children to continue being the troublemaking goofballs that they were – and for their bad behavior to be the cause of some bad grades, as usual. But two days after the first day of school, Louise had started walking to Will's room where he and Hannah were because there was something she wanted to tell Will. Before she knocked on Will's door, though, she heard him and Hannah talking, and when she started hearing their conversation, she couldn't help but want to listen.
"So Hannah, what big prank do you want to play on Mrs. Burgess tomorrow?" asked Will while Louise, standing right outside, rolled her eyes at her son.
"I don't want to play any pranks on anybody tomorrow, Will," Hannah told him truthfully.
"Are you sick or something?" asked Will as he playfully put his hand on his twin sister's forehead.
"No, Will, I'm not sick. I've just been doing a lot of serious thinking lately," said Hannah as she sat down on Will's bed. The walls of Will's bedroom were a light blue and were covered with posters of his favorite football team and his favorite rock band, and the bedspread of his bed and the carpet were a much darker shade of blue. He had his bed and a nightstand on one side of the room and a large chest of drawers, a mirror, a desk, and a chair on the other side, as well as a TV in front of his bed.
Will then sat down beside his sister on his blue bedspread and said, "You've been doing a lot of serious thinking? Are you sure you're not coming down with anything? Are you really, really sure?"
Hannah chuckled a bit and said, "Yes, Will, I'm really, really sure. I've just been thinking a lot lately about our lives."
"What about our lives?"
"Will, what kind of college do you expect you and I will be able to get into with grades like ours? Do you honestly believe that any college will want us if we keep going on the way we're going?"
"College is a long way off, Hannah. Let's worry about it then."
"And waste our time putting whoopee cushions in our teachers' chairs now?" Hannah asked pointedly.
"Hey, what's wrong with a good whoopee cushion prank?"
"Nothing's wrong with playing a good prank on somebody every now and then, but there's a time and a place for everything, and our time at school is not the right time or place for a bunch of silly, childish pranks. Besides, you and I are fifteen now, and we're in our sophomore year of high school. I think it's about time that you and I started to grow up a little bit."
"Now what brought this on?" asked a slightly irritated Will.
"You know my friend from school, Bianca Torres."
"Of course I know Bianca. But what has she got to do with anything?"
"You know that her father had a heart attack in May, right?"
"Right."
"Well she and I got to talking the other day, and she really opened up her heart to me. She told me all about how cold and arrogant the doctors were towards her and her family. They didn't really take the time to sit down with them and help them understand what was going on. They were in the scariest moment of their lives, and they were treated like they were just a bunch of annoying pests, nothing more. It's heartbreaking. And what's even more heartbreaking is that even though there are many doctors and nurses who treat patients and their families kindly, there are also a lot of medical professionals out there who are cold and cruel and have no business being in the medical profession. After I talked with Bianca about it a few days ago, I really got to thinking about how Dr. Everett treated all of us back when Joy was in the hospital. What would we have done if Dr. Everett hadn't been thoughtful and understanding and kind like she was? What would we have done if she hadn't been there for Joy and for all of us like she was?"
"Hannah, what does any of this have to do with you suddenly wanting to give up pranks and start acting all serious all the time?" Will asked impatiently.
"I'm coming to that. I've been thinking here lately that maybe I should start getting my act together when it comes to school; maybe I should start studying, really studying, and maybe I should start working hard and start bringing home good grades for a change so I can become a doctor."
While Louise's face lit up like a Christmas tree in that instant, Will laughed and said, "A doctor? Hannah, you want to become a doctor?"
"Yes, I think I do want to become a doctor someday, Will," she told him seriously. "In the future, I want to be the kind of doctor who's kind and thoughtful and loving towards her patients. I want to be one of those doctors who isn't all high and mighty and stuck-up because I have a medical degree. I really want to be there for people when they're at their sickest and most vulnerable and they need love and kindness the most. And I can't do any of that if I'm wasting my time with you acting stupid, concocting idiotic pranks on all my teachers and getting sent to the principal's office practically every other day." Hannah stood up then and told her brother, "You can go on wasting your time acting foolish every day if that's what you want to do. If you want to keep getting sent to the principal's office, keep risking getting suspended, keep bringing home bad report cards to Mom and Dad and ruin your chances of getting accepted at a decent college someday, Will, that's your business. But from this moment on, count me out. I've better things to do with my life than that."
The instant after she said that, Hannah began walking out of Will's bedroom, but Will quickly got up, put his hand on her shoulder, and stopped her.
"Hannah, wait a minute. Just wait a second. Hold up," he told her gently, and Hannah then turned to face her brother.
"What is it, Will?" she asked him.
"You're right. I'm sorry. I didn't think it through like you did. You're right. Even though there are a lot of kindhearted doctors and nurses out there, there are also way too many people in the medical profession who are cold and cruel. And the more doctors we have in the world with big hearts like yours, the better. You should become a doctor. And I know you can't do that if you're wasting your time playing games with your life like I always do."
"Thank you, Will," Hannah said kindly as she gave him a big hug. Then when the embrace ended, she asked, "So do I have your support?"
"Of course you have my support."
"Thank you."
"As a matter of fact, I'll do more than just support you. I'll do it with you. I'll start working hard on my grades, too. And I'll go to medical school with you and become a doctor with you."
"That's so sweet, Will, but I don't want you to become a doctor if it's not something you want to do with your life. I don't want you to go through medical school just so I won't be there alone. If you're going to become a doctor too, I want you to do it because it's what you want to spend the rest of your life doing."
"I do want to become a doctor with you, Hannah. You're not just my twin sister. You're my best friend. You and I have been best friends since before we were born. Literally. And I don't want to keep wasting my time messing around in school if it's going to make you unhappy. And I agree with you that we need more doctors in this world who haven't let their medical degrees go to their heads; who treat their patients and their patients' families the way they want to be treated. And I know that at the end of the day, I'm probably much better off studying for medical school with you than I am fooling around in class like I always do, getting myself sent off to the principal's office every other day."
Hannah laughed and smiled, and then she threw her arms around Will and said, "Oh Will, I'm so thrilled that we're going to become doctors together!"
Will smiled in return, and when the embrace ended, he said, "You know how it is, Hannah. Like I said before, we're each other's best friend. Everything we do, we do it together. That's just how we are."
"And I have a feeling that's how we'll always be."
"You're probably right," Will agreed with a big grin. And Louise was outside grinning ear-to-ear as well. She'd long since forgotten all about whatever it was that she'd wanted to tell Will earlier. Now with tears of pure joy streaming down her face, she went out into the living room, and she thanked Jesus with all her heart and soul for using Joy's plight with leukemia to set Will and Hannah on the right path.
"Hey there, Weez," George said happily as he walked into his apartment the following evening when he arrived home from work.
"Hey, George," Louise said with a smile, and then she gave her husband a big kiss.
"Hey, Joy. Hey, Noah," said George as he glanced over at Joy and her young friend Noah, who had their schoolbooks spread out over the dinner table as they studied and did their homework. Joy had met Noah Walton, a mixed young man her age, at the children's hospital. He'd been in the hospital with pneumonia at the time, and they met each other in the hospital corridor one day and got to talking and became fast friends. Then last month, Noah and his parents moved closer to the Jeffersons' neighborhood and Noah began going to the same school as Joy and her siblings.
"Hey, Daddy," Joy said with a bright smile.
"Hello, Mr. Jefferson," said Noah, also with a kind smile.
"What all are you kids up to?" George asked pleasantly.
"We're studying for a killer test tomorrow, sir," Noah explained.
"Well Weezy, we may have two children who are gettin' ready to destroy the planet with all their crazy shenanigans, but at least we've got one child who actually spends her time studying for her tests."
"Actually, George, you're wrong. Will and Hannah are also studying right now. They're in the girls' room hitting their books."
"Now Weezy, quit tryin' to mess with me. You know there ain't a snowflake's chance in hell that those two will ever hit their books a minute of their lives! Where are they really? What are those two really up to right now?"
Louise knowingly laughed and said, "I know how hard it is to believe, George, but it's the truth. Will and Hannah are in the girls' bedroom doing their homework and studying for their next test right now as we speak."
"They are not! If those two are actually someplace studyin', then I'm white!" George joked.
"No, Mr. Jefferson, it's true," Noah said with a laugh, and Joy and Louise continued laughing as well. "I saw them go in there with their books."
"So did I, Daddy," Joy insisted. "I know it's really hard to believe, but Mama is telling the truth. Will and Hannah are studying and doing their homework right now, just like Noah and I are."
"They are not! Quit messin' with me!" George cried out, which only made Louise, Joy, and Noah laugh that much harder.
"George, if you don't believe us, go to the girls' room and see for yourself," Louise told him.
"Alright, I will," said George, and then he walked back to the girls' bedroom in his usual strut and opened the door a crack. And when he heard them actually engrossed in a conversation about the topics they were memorizing for an upcoming science test and saw them sitting together on Joy's bed with open books and notebooks all over the place, he practically went into heart failure!
In the following moments, George slowly stumbled out into the living room holding his chest, and Joy, Noah, and especially Louise cracked up at him as he laid down on the couch.
"I'm gettin' heart palpitations," he announced as everyone continued to laugh. "Weez, I think I'm havin' a heart attack over here! Go call 9-1-1!" he cried out as all the laughter in the room just got louder and louder. "They're studying!" George said aloud then in pure and utter disbelief. "Will and Hannah are studying!"
"Miracles do still happen in this crazy old world, George," said Louise. "And Jesus really does answer the prayers of frazzled parents. It may take a good fifteen years for it to happen, but He does answer them."
"Daddy, Will and Hannah are actually saying that they want to become doctors now," Joy informed her father.
"Doctors?!" George cried out, unable to believe his ears.
"Yeah, they said they wanted to start getting serious about their lives and start making good grades so they can get into medical school," said Noah.
"Medical school?! You guys are jivin'!" George said aloud.
"No we're not, George. I eavesdropped on them yesterday, Lord forgive me. I heard them talking about it and they're dead serious," Louise told him. "Will and Hannah really do want to start improving their grades so they can get into medical school someday. I think that Joy's medical crisis several months ago caused them to have a change of heart about the way they were living their lives."
George sat up on the couch then and said, "Wow. Just wow. Jesus really did hear us all these years, didn't He, Weez?"
In that moment Louise took George's hand, gave it a loving squeeze, and said, "He sure did, George. Jesus may not always answer our prayers as quickly as we would like, but that doesn't mean He's not listening. And you don't even know the best part."
"Will and Hannah payin' attention to their schoolwork and decidin' to become doctors someday isn't the best part?" George asked incredulously.
"Believe it or not, no, it's not the best part. It gets even better," Louise told him as she came around and sat down on the couch beside him.
"It gets even better? Then for heaven's sake, Weezy, tell me. I'm all ears."
"Will and Hannah came to Florence and me right after they got home from school this afternoon and they told us that they want to get baptized at church this Sunday. Florence has already called our pastor and spoken to him about it. They said that it was time they started taking everything in their lives seriously, especially their relationship with Jesus. They said that even though they always believed that Jesus created the world and that He existed and everything, they realize now that they never took Him as seriously as they should have. They said they realize now how important it is for them to know where they're going to spend eternity after they die, and they said that they truly believe in His perfect sacrifice on the cross for them now and that they want to spend the rest of their lives serving Him as His disciples."
"Joy, didn't you do the same thing last year?" asked Noah.
"Yeah, I did. I came to faith in Christ last year and decided that I wanted to spend my life serving Him, and then I got baptized at our church."
"Cool. I did the same thing about a month after I left the hospital."
"Hey, I didn't know that, Noah. That's terrific," Louise said with a big smile, which Noah returned.
"Wow, Weezy. Wow. Just…wow!"
"I know," Louise said with a happy laugh.
George looked up in that moment and said, "Lord, You really do move in mysterious ways, don't You?"
"Yes, He does, George," Louise heartily agreed. "Yes, He does."
"Will and Hannah have finally gotten saved, they're gettin' baptized in church on Sunday, they're studyin' and they're doin' their homework for the first time ever in their lives, and they wanna go to medical school and become doctors someday," said George in disbelief.
"That's the gist of it, George," Louise told him. George then lied down on the couch and rested his head in Louise's lap, and again, he put his hand on his chest.
"Weezy, I'm gettin' heart palpitations again," said George as Louise laughed out loud.
"The good Lord knows what He's doing, George. He knows just what to do to set His children on the right path."
"Thank You for gettin' our kids on the right path, Jesus," George told the Lord with all sincerity. "Thank You so much."
"Amen!" Louise said aloud.
"I just love raisin' children with you, Weez," George said softly with a big smile.
"I love it too, George. And I love you. So much," said Louise, and then she bent over and gave her husband a very big kiss.
"I love you too, sweetheart," George whispered contentedly, so happy and so grateful to God for using even the worst circumstances of their lives to get their children where they needed to be on the inside. He would always be so grateful to Jesus for setting Will and Hannah on the right path.